Novak Djokovic fell to a shock early defeat in Shanghai on Friday, losing to Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-3 in the second round.
The Serbian, who just won the China Open in Beijing a few days ago, had a tough time getting past the big-serving Pole, who managed to beat the nine-time former world number one for the first time in nine tries.
Djokovic is competing just three days after clinching his sixth Beijing title, which so far shows an unblemished record on the professional tour.
Nevertheless, conditions proved to be tough in Shanghai for the 39-year-old, and he couldn’t handle Hurkacz’s delivery, as the Pole hit 13 aces in the one-hour and 28-minute match.
“It was not me out there on the court,” Djokovic said after his loss.
“It is a super-fast surface which is very different from Beijing. If you lose your serve, it is practically a match lost.”
Hurkacz’s relentless self-belief came through again in the second set as the world No.1 double-faulted to hand the Pole the break and a 3-1 lead. He maintained that confidence to seal victory in straight sets.
“It’s so hard to return his serve, it’s almost impossible,” said Djokovic. “I didn’t step it up, and it was a really tough draw for me to get him in the first round.
Hurkacz will take on either Lorenzo Musetti or Chinese wild card Zhou Yi in the third round.
